Always
by ladybugsmomma
Summary: Daryl warns Ezekiel away from his woman. Carol isn't pleased by their alpha male argument and storms off. Only one man, however; has the wherewithal to claim her heart.


**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of pure fiction. All characters and events depicted in this story are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Tags: *Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier, *Ezekiel, *Maggie Greene, *Nine Lives Challenge, *Smutfest 3.0, *Angst, *Smut, *Feels, *Porn w/ Plot

Summary: Daryl warns Ezekiel away from his woman. Carol isn't pleased by their alpha male argument and storms off. Only one man, however; has the wherewithal to claim her heart.

Note: Thank you to CharlotteAshmore for editing! Love you so much! This was written for Smutfest 3.0 and is my first foray into the Caryl fandom. Hope y'all enjoy!

Always

By: Ladybugsmomma

She found him sitting near the newest graves of the people they'd lost due to the recent walker attack. He was whittling another arrow to prepare for the Saviors next attack.  
She watched his rough, calloused hands work the wood the way he wanted, the blade slicing through the limber wood. She could never get it to work the way he could. It was one of the many things she loved about him. His hair would fall into his face every now and then; he'd brush it out of the way and go back to carving.  
She walked over to him, and he looked up, dropping his guard when he saw it was her. He knew he couldn't hide anything from her, and he'd stopped trying since their time together in Atlanta.  
"Whatcha need, Carol?" he asked in a gruff voice.  
That was her Daryl, quick and to the point.  
"I saw you found th' kid. Glad he's alright," he said.  
"Me too. Wouldn't have gone out there if Ezekiel hadn't called me a coward or if Morgan hadn't been adamant about looking for him and the Saviors," she replied softly.  
"Ezekiel did what? Where did he get that from?" He set the arrow aside, miffed at the thought of this wannabe king calling his woman a coward of all things! He had no idea what she'd been through. He would have a talk with him later.  
"It's okay. He was right. After I told him about what happened to Sophia, he understood a little more. His opinion changed."  
"You know I would`ve beat his ass if he didn`t. I don't like the fact he called you a coward to begin with."  
"Aw, Pookie, I`m touched you want to defend my honor, but he was right."  
"Told you not to call me that," he muttered, "You ain`t no coward. You`re one of the bravest people I know. He can go to hell."  
"I _was_ a coward, terrified to fight because I didn't want to face the loss anymore, but I know now it's going to happen whether I want it to or not and I just have to keep going."  
"You could've told me before. I would've helped."  
"I know. We'll be okay, Daryl; you and I. We'll always be okay."  
She got up and walked away. He watched her go with the pain she had tried so hard to bury. Regardless, he was still going to have a talk with Ezekiel about how close he was getting to his woman, even though he knew Carol could feel nothing like that towards him. He didn't need a bad actor coming in and hurting her the way Ezekiel had. He got up, put the arrow in a pile of those he'd finished, and went to find the wannabe royal.  
He found Ezekiel sitting by a fire near the gates, and looked around to make sure the others weren't nearby before he took a seat on a log across from him.  
"Something on your mind, Archer?"  
"Yup, don't like how you talked to Carol. She told me you called her a coward."  
"Carol did indeed show the traits of a coward before, but my opinion of the fair lady has changed. Something tells me that's not the only reason you wanted to talk."  
"'S not. I don't like how you handle Carol or how much time you spend with her. She don't need anymore drama or another reason to build her walls stronger than ever. Stay away from her."  
"I`ll do nothing of the sort. She's my friend and you've no bearing with whom she builds a relationship, not that I'm trying to do anything of the sort. I just thought she could use another friend."  
Daryl felt the anger rise into his chest, the need to claim her as his own to the other male who threatened the way things were between him and his woman overwhelming.  
His voice low and dangerous, he said, "Stay away from my woman or you'll find yourself with the walkers outside the walls."  
"That's enough!" Carol hissed angrily coming up from behind Daryl. "Put your dicks away because, right now, I`m not looking at a relationship with anyone! Least of all two alpha males who think I`m something they can claim. I'm not a prize to be won!"  
She turned on her heel and headed towards the house, muttering something about men and their stubborn ways.  
The men looked at each other, feeling perfectly chastised. Daryl should`ve known better than that, knowing how Ed had been with her. He'd find her in a few to apologize because he knew she'd have to calm down. Ezekiel, however, didn't understand that and got up after their shared look and took off after the silver-haired beauty.  
He watched as Carol turned to Ezekiel and let him have another piece of her mind and sent the wannabe on his way with his tail between his legs. He felt himself smirk and his cock stirred to life after seeing her flushed with anger. God, he loved her temper, but hated to be on the receiving end of it. He went back to his arrows for a bit before seeking her out again.

*.*.*

Carol walked into the house, pissed off she was being claimed like a piece of meat. She really didn't mind it from Daryl. She wanted to be his, but it was the principle of the matter. Maggie walked over, seeing Carol lost in her head.  
"Hey, what happened?" she asked.  
"Men suck sometimes, you know that?"  
"Mm-hmm, what happened? Daryl do something again?"  
"Why do you automatically assume it's Daryl?"  
"Because it's always Daryl. We all know how you two feel about each other."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Oh, come on, everyone knows and wishes the two of you would just get together already!"  
"We're friends."  
"Yeah, okay, friends don't act like that. You're more than friends. At least, you could be."  
"More than friends?" Did she dare hope that could be true? She did. Carol loved him and wanted him to feel the same way. Right now, she was just so mad she could spit. Then she thought of what he'd said about her walls. He was already inside those walls. He had sneaked in long before anyone else. He didn't think he was? She had to let him know, but first she had to calm down. She took a few breaths before going to seek out her archer.

*.*.*

He walked into the room he'd been sharing with Carol, Tara, and Jesus. Jesus was off helping Siddiq with the infirmary and Tara was patrolling the gates. He pulled off his shirt and vest and tossed them to the side before heading into the bathroom to rinse some of the grime off for the night. When he walked out, he walked right into Carol, his hands reaching out to steady her.  
She turned and looked at him. His hair was dripping wet and his chest glistening. She felt the moisture build between her legs and the fire ignite in her belly. She shook her head, unable to think about that right now. She had to talk to him first. He'd said something, but she'd been lost in her musings and hadn't heard him. What was it?  
"What? What did you say?"  
"Uh, asked if you were alright?"  
"Yeah, um, but we need to talk."  
"'M sorry bout what happened with 'Zekiel."  
"Yeah, I know you really didn't mean anything by it. It just brought up …"  
"I know. I saw it on your face. Didn't wanna hurt y'. Jus' wanna protect y'. Cain't take anything happenin' to y' or hurtin' y'. Don't trust that wannabe king."  
She smiled at him. Her heart felt light in hearing how much he cared for her and wanted her to be safe.  
"Thank you, Daryl. I love that you care so much, but you know he was right."  
"No, no, he wasn't! God, woman, y' put so little thought into yourself! There's so many times y' coulda quit, but didn`t! You're the bravest woman I know. If he cain't see it, fuck him!"  
"Daryl …"  
"No … he don't get to tell y' what or who y' are! You ain't no damn coward! You're a good woman and I…"  
He stopped before he said it, her gaze meeting his searchingly as the breath stuttered in her chest.  
"You what?"  
"Forget it."  
"No … Tell me."  
"Fine, I love you. There, I said it."  
Carol saw the pain in his eyes before he averted his gaze. He expected her to reject him? There was no way this beautiful, brave man could expect her to reject him, was there?  
"Daryl, look at me, please."

Carol closed the distance between them, cradling his face in her hands and drawing his gaze to hers. It was fraught with the fear of rejection, and it tore at her heart.  
"I love you, too, you silly man. I've loved you so long, Daryl ... since you went looking for Sophia and wouldn't stop. I`ve loved you since you got so mad at me that day in the stables when I doubted we'd ever find my daughter and every moment since then. I love you, Daryl Dixon."  
He looked so shocked.  
"You love me? I thought … what bout Tobin and Ezekiel?" he asked quietly, still afraid to believe it was real.  
"I was never interested in either. I just wanted to feel something because I didn't think you cared about me the way I did for you."  
"All this time?"  
Carol nodded. She looked away, tears shining in her eyes. He grabbed her chin gently to look at him, their eyes meeting again. He leaned down as she pushed up on her toes and their lips met in a gentle but passionate kiss. She moaned lightly as he pulled her flush with his body, the thin barrier of her Henley almost nothing between her and the heat of his bare chest. His abs were hard, but his skin was warm and soft beneath her questing fingers. She didn't want it to end.  
Apparently, he didn't either as he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, asking for permission to which she granted. He got the first taste of her sweet mouth, her lips salty from the tears, but it enhanced the taste of sweetness and honey and something that was all Carol. He backed her slowly up against the bed, his body humming with pleasure.  
"Daryl, we can't. The door …"  
He was reluctant to let go, but he quickly tossed a sock onto the doorknob, shut the door and threw the lock.  
"What about …"  
He cut her off with another kiss.  
"They can sleep somewhere else," he growled in a rough voice filled with desire and lust, but undertones of love and gentleness. She grinned at him.  
Carol pulled him to her, plunging her hands into his long chestnut-colored hair. Their lips met again, fire pooling in her belly as he moaned into the kiss. She could feel his arousal pressed into her hip, sucking her lower lip between his own before releasing her to mark a trail of open-mouthed kissed down the ivory column of her neck. He nipped and teased her skin until he'd marked her, pulling a light bruise on the skin just above her collarbone..  
"Mine," he whispered frantically.  
"Always yours," she answered just as breathlessly. "Too many clothes."  
He leaned back and helped her out of her shirt. Reaching around, he fumbled with her bra. He was tempted to rip it until she reached behind and unclasped it for him.  
"Stupid, irritating piece of fabric …" he growled as she giggled and pulled him down for another kiss. She divested herself of her pants, underwear, and shoes and lay on the bed in all her glory, ripe for his pleasure. He pulled off his jeans and boxers and rejoined her on the bed, hovering over her as he took in every precious detail of her body. "So beautiful."  
He knew he wanted to take it slow and let Carol enjoy herself, wanting to savor every second after wasting so much time he could have spent with her. He kissed her again and again, sweet, sipping kisses before moving lower to take one taut bud into his mouth. He twirled his tongue around it, making it stand stiff and proud. With his hand, he showered attention on the other. Carol moaned and she felt more warmth pool between her legs, knowing she wouldn't be able to withstand much more of his sinfully sweet torture.  
"Daryl, stop teasing me," she commanded, her voice filled with lust.  
Daryl shivered at the tone of her voice, so filled with need, as he kissed down each leg, teasing the back of her knees. She groaned at him. He chuckled and moved to spread her legs further. She obliged him and he knelt between them. He took in her scent before finally allowing himself to taste her sweet essence. He licked over her labia with the tip of his tongue before pressing the flat of it against her. Taking that little bundle of nerves in his mouth, he heard her keen and gasp his name. He added his fingers. She pushed her fingers through his hair before gripping tightly and pulling gently, the combination of his tongue and fingers bringing her so close to the edge.  
"That's it, baby. Let go," he said, muffled by her sweet muff. She gasped and moaned as he crooked his fingers just right which sent her tumbling over the edge. He replaced his fingers with his tongue to capture the nectar flowing from his beauty.  
After the waves had dissipated, he kissed her fervently, knowing he wasn't going to last very long. She tasted herself on his tongue which turned her on again.  
"Please, Carol, tell me what you need," he said against her lips. He looked into her beautiful eyes, almost completely black from arousal.  
"You, just you." She pulled him to her again. Lifting her hips, she helped guide him into her warmth. He moaned at how tight she was. He had to wait, otherwise he was going to embarrass himself right there.  
"Daryl, sweetheart, move … please … I … I need …" At that point, he pulled out slightly and thrust back in. She gasped at the pleasure. He did it again, capturing her lips.  
"I love you so much, Carol. Tell me to stop, and I will."  
"No, don`t stop! Don`t you dare!" He thrust again and again. She lifted her hips which made him drive deeper, touching her in places no one ever had before. He knew she was close and he wanted them to reach their peaks at the same time. He reached between them and pinched her clit. She pulled her nails down his back, marking him as hers before falling over the cliff of pleasure.  
Her walls clamped down on his cock and he let go, spurting his seed into her womb. He collapsed, his legs jelly. After the waves of pleasure stopped, he tried to move to her side to relieve her of his weight, but she held him in place.  
"Don't wanna hurt y', baby."  
"You won`t. Stay, please."  
"Always."


End file.
